Title
TheČḯxwicən Project of Northwest Washington State, U.S.A.: Opportunity Lost, opportunity Found
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2019
Keywords
Northwest coast archaeology, Colonialism, Human ecodynamics, Coastal foragers, Resilience
Abstract
Čḯxwicən (pronounced ch-WHEET-son) is a 2700 year-old ancestral village of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (LEKT), located on the northwest coast of Washington State, U.S.A. The Čḯxwicən project has scientific values that broadly contribute to research in human ecodynamics and maritime foragers, given the scale of the project, excavation methods, and enormous quantities of faunal materials recovered. The village holds great significance to the LEKT as their traditional village, which includes a sacred burial ground. The project began under challenging circumstances, when the village was inadvertently encountered during a construction project, incurring huge political, social and financial costs. Commitment by the LEKT and Čḯxwicən scholars and other partners turned an “opportunity lost” into an “opportunity found.” This paper provides background to this remarkable site and project goals that guided the Čḯxwicən research project. The Special Issue papers showcase project results, including reflections by tribal members. Overall, the project shows the potential for archaeology and heritage to support reconciliation between tribes and archaeologists and broader society.
Volume
23
First Page
1095
Last Page
1103
Required Publisher's Statement
© 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.03.010
Recommended Citation
Butler, Virginia L.; Bovy, Kristine M.; Campbell, Sarah K.; Etnier, Michael A.; and Sterling, Sarah L., "TheČḯxwicən Project of Northwest Washington State, U.S.A.: Opportunity Lost, opportunity Found" (2019). Anthropology Faculty and Staff Publications. 25.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/anthropology_facpubs/25
Subjects - Topical (LCSH)
Excavations (Archaeology)--Washington (State)--Port Angeles; Coastal archaeology--Northwest Coast of North America; Sacred space--Washington (State)--Tse-whit-zen Village Site
Geographic Coverage
Tse-whit-zen Village Site (Wash.); Lower Elwha Tribal Community
Genre/Form
articles
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
